Research Proposal: Exploring the Role of Instagram in Consumer Behavior Through Celebrity Endorsed Products

Introduction

Instagram is a social media networking app for smartphones (Kang, 2018). Instagram, just like other social media apps, for instance, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and LinkedIn, among others, allow interactivity among users and enhances both long-distance communication and short distance communication. This research essay aims at finding out whether Instagram plays a role in consumer behavior through celebrity endorsed products.

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Aim of the Project

The project aims at establishing the assertion that Instagram has played an influence on consumer behavior through celebrity endorsed products.

Instagram has shown great strengths in the world of sales and marketing (Phua, Lin, & Lim, 2018. Users and especially women teenagers use it to publicize themselves and show off their beauty, adverts especially those of beauty products done by women celebrities which are presented as flawless influence customer's opinion and preference of what is beautiful and the best beauty products to apply.

The research essay also intends to find out how celebrity endorsements influence consumer purchases and preferences.

Instagram users are increasing each day, with the number of users growing each day, Instagram has been said to be among the most used platform with a membership close to one billion. As opposed to other social media platforms, Instagram does not only allow the posting of pictures and videos but also allows users to edit and add filters and other effects to both the videos and images, thus making them look prettier and more exciting than when posted raw. With the catchy and outstanding features of adverts especially those of fashion and style, the buyers and especially women's interest is aroused and need created thus increasing sales.

The paper also aims at finding out the importance of Instagram and the role it has played in marketing.

Instagram users do not need to carry big cameras and machines to shoot and edit their works but can easily use the buttons and the manipulations of the platform to make the images pleasant (Nugraha, 2017). Besides sharing the cute pictures and videos of people, marketers have also capitalized on the strengths of this app. They have successfully carried out their marketing activities through advertising, which has provided them with a significant change and new approaches in sells and marketing, thus accruing them higher profits. The platform is no longer used only as a fun site but also as a channel that connects brands with customers and other potential buyers.

The research paper will examine the effectiveness of celebrity endorsements in influencing new purchases and consumptions.

Customer purchases has been influenced by the aspect of the need to look prettier. With the urge to look good and match the standards set by the celebrities, new purchases of either the fashion clothes or even designer shoes that are mostly advertised are bought to replace the old ones, as a result, new purchases are made.

The research will also examine other possible effects of Instagram use on both the consumers and the producers.

Instagram pictures and videos are very appealing and hard to ignore since they are posted after thorough vetting. The ability to edit the images and videos before posting also works best in setting creating a taste of class on the consumers. On the side of producers, the adverts expose them to competition and increases their knowledge on the various new products in the market how they can customize their products to fit customer needs.

Objectives of the Study

The research aims at finding out factors that influence buying behaviors

Most Instagram pictures and videos hype and showoff people's fake lifestyles at expensive places (Phua, Lin, & Lim, 2018). Celebrities command a more considerable following, and as a result, by using them in approving the use of certain products, a higher population is reached. Besides enhancing deeper market penetration, the use of celebrities in Instagram adverts communicates some message of class. People view stars as individuals who have achieved in life; they are believed to be people who use quality items and of a higher class than ordinary citizens. With such a perception and from the above assumptions, it is then arguably right to think that by using these celebrities in the adverts, more buyers and customers will opt to buy the same goods believing that the items are of class.

The research also is interested in finding out how Instagram celebrity endorsement affects advertising.

Instagram celebrity endorsement on products has affected advertising given that celebrities are a form of authority in the social media platform as most social media standards seem to be set by them (Kang, 2018). Celebrities are presumed as the pacemakers, using the celebrities on Instagram to endorse a product gives the product a taste of class, thus sending the message that the brand is the best that anyone who wants to stand out should have. In this manner, then more consumers will opt to buy these brands.

The research will also examine the type of goods and services that Instagram celebrity endorsement is most commonly used.

Most celebrity endorsed products are things to do with fashion and beauty which interest women mostly. They are stuff such as fashion and designer clothes, beauty products and foods. Women are easily swayed by the Instagram beautiful pictures showing families having a meal at an expensive resort and will immediately develop the need. By creating need the advertisers shall have achieved their target.

The study also aims at finding out the positive and negative impacts of Instagram celebrity endorsement on brands.

One of the positive impacts of Instagram celebrity endorsed adverts is that it informs the users and the thousands of subscribers of the availability of new products and their new uses thus educating the consumers. Its negativity comes with the fact that the adverts many times shows people and especially women in scanty dresses and fashions and for the teenagers the adverts are more likely to corrupt their morals and influence their dressing habits.

What is the Value of the Research to Society?

Having known the strengths of Instagram celebrity endorsement on brands, the knowledge will, in many ways helps both the buyers and the producers in several ways (Nugraha, 2017). First, the perceptions of society over certain issues and cultures is informed as the adverts sometimes serve to educate the viewers.

The research also informs the people on the current trends and issues in society (Kang, 2018). Through the sharing of information, the people's awareness on the current and trending aspects of live and the various social issues are created. As a result, inform the perspectives of the subscribers and society at large. (Kang, 2018). With the right advertising knowledge, it is then possible to know how to generate demand and appeal.

Also, the knowledge on Instagram advertising gives another perspective on how the social media platform can be used to create value and make money. The experience is crucial and essential, especially with the rate of joblessness (Phua, Lin, & Lim, 2018). Through the knowledge, the teenagers who form the highest number of users of Instagram will find more value and create a source of income for them.

Conclusion

The advancements in technology have indeed contributed significantly to current developments in both human lives and the world of business. Smartphone technology has brought about significant improvements in human life and enhanced access to many services (Kang, 2018). Social media platforms have been actively used to enhance human interactions and facilitate faster sending and reception of messages, thus enhancing communication. The technology has also brought about more discoveries; for instance, most social media platforms have been a discovery of the advancements in technology. Instagram, for example, was created in 2010 with few features, but with time more improvements have been made to the app to accommodate more operations. The many activities have attached more utility and as a result, contributed significantly to the world of business and advertising.

References

Kang, J. (2018). The Effect of Ad Skepticism and Celebrity Preference on Brand Attitude Change in Celebrity-Endorsed Advertising. Japanese Psychological Research. doi:10.1111/jpr.12242

Nugraha, R. (2017). The Influence of Celebrity Endorsement in Instagram Towards Customer Behavior and Purchase Intention in Healthy Food Diet Business. doi:10.31227/osf.io/ug6at

Phua, J., Lin, J. (., & Lim, D. J. (2018). Understanding consumer engagement with celebrity-endorsed E-Cigarette advertising on Instagram. Computers in Human Behavior, 84, 93-102. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2018.02.031